One-third of new auto permits cancelled

RTO scans documents to find allottees had lied about their education, most of them have not even passed class X.

Almost one-third of the 32, 000 new autorickshaw permit allottees in Mumbai had lied about having cleared SSC exams while applying online last month, the RTO has learnt after physical verification of the documents that the candidates submitted. Their licenses have been cancelled now.

"Almost 30 per cent of those who were allotted permits had appeared for SSC exams but failed. They have only passed Class 8. But they claimed to have cleared their board exams," said an RTO officer who was part of the verification process.

The allottees were selected through an online process on February 26, but it was not until March 1 that RTO officials started personally verifying their documents.

State transport commissioner V N More said that these applications now stand rejected. Fresh permits will now be allotted to those next on the waiting list.

"At the end of the verification process, the RTO will send out automated SMSs to all the allottees. This will be the only form of official intimation," More said.

The February 26 lottery was done after a gap of 17 years. The state transport department had released 81,456 new auto permits for allocation through the lottery system across 49 RTOs, but only 60,000 were finally allotted as a few RTOs did not receive enough applications.

Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union president Thampy Kurien said it was sad that the applicants had lied about being class 10 pass. "Hopefully those in the waitlist have been truthful and will automatically get their permits now," he said. Kurien added that it was only due to a robust verification process that the matter had come to light.

"As we go forward with special branch verification of the applicants' antecedents, a lot more skeletons are likely to tumble out of closet as far as their criminal background is concerned," Kurien added.